


I Don't Do Teams

by abittersweetlullaby



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Cussing, Freed's Tragic Past is alluded to, M/M, Thunder Legion bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:34:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25273234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abittersweetlullaby/pseuds/abittersweetlullaby
Summary: Written for Fraxus Week 2020-- "First Meeting"Laxus is bored of the guild, and everyone it has to offer, when a stranger bursts into the guild hall. When Laxus demands a test of strength, he discovers the stranger is much stronger than he appears at first glance. Little does he know that fateful encounter is just the beginning of the end for being someone who "doesn't do teams".
Relationships: Laxus Dreyar/Freed Justine
Comments: 2
Kudos: 55
Collections: Fraxus Week 2020





	I Don't Do Teams

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Fraxus Week!
> 
> I know there’s now a canonical explanation of how the Thunder Legion formed, but I had a lot of fun writing this "what-if" and I hope you enjoy reading it as well!

It was another boring day at the guild. Laxus watched from the balcony at the little kids running around and creating chaos in the main area, and rolled his eyes, turning the volume of his music lacrima higher. 

The old man was getting soft, letting all these rugrats without an inch of magical training into the guild. He admitted a few of them had potential--Mira and Ezra, and Natsu on occasion--but the rest? Eh. 

Laxus thought of what his father had told him--there should be no place for the weak in a guild. That guilds were made by the powerful to embrace power. 

He placed a hand to his stomach where he could feel the pulsing of the dragon lacrima Ivan had placed there, as a proof that he would never let his son be a weak link. But those kids beneath him who were content with their weakness? Laxus couldn’t forgive that. 

He was lost in his thoughts when the Fairy Tail doors opened, and an unfamiliar figure walked in. Everyone turned their attention to the newcomer, as was customary, and the stranger looked alarmed, clutching the sword on his hip.

Laxus gave this new stranger his usual lookover. This guy seemed older than the babies downstairs at least, maybe a teenager? He was dressed in a long double-breasted red coat, with a high collared white shirt underneath. Both seemed battered, torn and dirty, though, indicating a long journey. What the blonde was most drawn to was the teen’s hair--it was a bright green hue that went down to his shoulders, and it was striking, even covered in mud. Most of his hair covered his right eye, but Laxus could see the edges of an black eyepatch. 

One of the adults, Macao, seeing the stranger at ill-ease, approached the green-haired teen with his hands up. “Hey hey, you can relax here. You’ve made it to the Wizard Guild Fairy Tail!”

The swordsman relaxed his grip on his sheath, blinking in surprise. “So this is a wizard guild,” he uttered, so quietly Laxus barely heard him. 

“How do I go about the application process to join?”

“Oh that’s easy enough!” Macao laughed “You just need to…”

Before he had finished, Laxus had jumped off the balcony, and appeared in front of the stranger with lightning speed. 

“...fight me,” The blond finished. 

“What the hell Laxus?” Macao started. “We don’t fight people to have them join the guild. Just because your grandfather’s the guild master doesn’t give you the right…”

Laxus’ magic flared brightly, a warning. 

“Don’t mention my old man. I’m tired of these weaklings just walking through our doors. I’m bored and I wanna see what this guy can do,” 

Freed raised a singular eyebrow, and a smile quirked on his lips. 

“Very well. Laxus, is it? I understand clearly and accept your challenge, sir.”

“Sir?” Macao cried out in disbelief, while Laxus smirked. “Hey, somebody around here knows respect,” 

“Before we begin,” Freed reached into the knapsack on his back and pulled out an immense tome. “I think we should establish the parameters for this fight.” He opened to a bookmarked page. “I can create a magical energy barrier so no one else is affected by our magic. We can even create a time limit as well, though I’ve never dabbled with that,”

Laxus blinked dumbly. “Uh….what?”

“You’re right. I’m getting ahead of myself. It’s best not to complicate these things and use too much of my magical power,” Freed drew up a basic rune barrier around them, returned the book to his sack, and put it down beside them. “The rules are as followed: There are no restrictions on power. All magical energy remains within this barrier. And the fight ends when I see fit,”

He threw the bag to the side, and put one hand on his sword, another beckoning with a come hither motion towards Laxus. “Now show me your strength and don’t hold back,”

“Now that’s more my speed,” the lightning dragon slayer laughed. As he charged forward he yelled,  “Lightning Fist Attack!”

Freed avoided the attack nimbly, parried the next attack with his sword and then charged forward. This lasted until Laxus used raw power to shatter his sword, and the stranger was left fending off the worst of Laxus’ physical attacks with his arms. 

“Lay off!” Someone in the background yelled, “You’re gonna kill him!”

Laxus sneered as Freed stood at the end of the barrier, panting.

“Is that ya best? I didn’t even break a sweat,” 

The green-haired mage took a deep breath. He had made a rough assessment of this Laxus’ magical energy before they fought, and knew using this power was the only way he could stand a chance against this opponent….but he was scared and hoped against hope that he still wouldn’t be necessary.

The power he himself feared.

Steeling his resolve, Freed reached up and untied the eyepatch, and let it flutter to the ground. His eye gleamed, 

“No, this fight isn’t over yet,”

Laxus stood in awe as Freed activated his Dark Ecriture. 

Suddenly, the whole aura of the match changed, as a dark power overtook the teenager and he transformed as a demon before everyone’s eyes. 

“Dark Ecriture--Sword!”

A new rapier, demonic and glowing appeared in the script mage’s hand as he charged forward.

“Dark Ecriture--Fear!”

Laxus felt his body fill with tension, the likes of which he hadn’t felt since his father had just started experimenting on him. Was he...shaking? Everything was happening so quickly and so intensely. 

“Dark Ecriture--Pain!”

The tremors intensified, as the demon charged forward with his sword. He shouted the phrase over and over again, and Laxus screamed because of the intensity.

What the hell was this guy?

Soon enough, he was pinned on the ground by Freed’s sword. Laxus looked up in awe. It had been a long time since he had felt actual fear in a fight. It was exhilarating. 

“You’re amazing,” he said in a whisper. “This kinda power in a mage, I’ve never seen anything like it,”

“You’re...not afraid?” Freed questioned in a small voice. He was surprised that he still had some sense of self. His mind at this point was usually swathed in demonic bloodlust, but something about the admiration in Laxus’ words and the look in his eyes had broken through the possession.

“Nawh, because as strong as you are, I know I got this,” 

Laxus leaned forward, clasping his hands around Freed’s sword, and sent electricity throughout it, which in turn electrified the green haired mage. The guild protested against the cruelty, and Laxus rolled his eyes.

“Relax, I didn’t use enough lightning to actually kill him,”

True to his word, after slamming to the ground, Freed stood up, wiping some blood away from the corner of his mouth, but looking prepared for another round. 

“See?”

He thought about which attack to launch next when…

“What the hell is going on here?” A voice roared. The guild turned around, and faced the sound of the voice--a pissed off Makarov. “What have I said about fighting in the guild hall?”

There was a cacophony of voices, some shouting about Freed’s barrier and the fact that it was a damn good fight, or that Laxus had started it, and when it all began to calm down, the guild master approached the green haired mage.

Laxus noticed Freed had dropped the barrier of his own accord so Gramps could approach them.

“You’re the cause of this ruckus, are you?”

Freed took the moment to lower his head, and politely bow to the guild master. “I am honored to meet you Master. I apologize sincerely for the pandemonium that I have incurred in this honored hall. My name is Freed, and I am in search of a wizard guild to join,” he spoke nervously, tripping over his words. 

Makarov was caught off guard at the teenager’s politeness and humility, in direct opposition to his own grandson. 

“You don’t need to apologize to me boy, though it is accepted. I’m sure my brat of a grandson instigated this,”

Laxus sputtered something angry in response but Freed merely shook his head.

“I was the one to accept, sir. It is within his right to want to assess my power. I hope that he has found it satisfactory for acceptance at this institution,”

Makarov’s head swiveled towards Laxus, and the blond knew he was in for some sort of lecture later. “Please raise your head young man. You are among equals here, and we would be honored to welcome you into this guild. If you could come forward ,”

Freed looked surprised at the easy acceptance, and with a small “Oh,” he put his sword away, and picked up his bag to place over his shoulder. “Thank you. I do not take your kindness lightly, Master,”

He took a glance towards Laxus as he walked forward, and offered his hand. “You are a formidable foe. I’m sure you would have defeated me, had our fight progressed.” 

To everyone’s surprise, Laxus cracked a smile and took his hand for a firm handshake. “You’ve got some freakish power. That was fun,” 

\--

“Why do you hide your eye?” Laxus had asked. The new guild member kept to himself most of the time since officially joining the guild, usually with his face in some sort of book from the guild’s library. He knew some of the other members would try to break his nose if he interrupted them while reading, but if Freed minded the interruptions, he never showed it outwardly. He merely put a bookmark on the current page, and closed the book, giving the lightning dragon slayer his undivided attention. 

Freed looked into Laxus’ eyes, weighing his response. Laxus found that so weird about him. The blond was always acting impulsively, or saying whatever the hell he wanted, when Freed was analytical, and seemed to weigh each word before saying them. 

“It uses a lot of magical energy and when I use it too much I can’t control it,” Freed said, brushing his bangs self-consciously as he spoke, “And well...that scares people,”

He thought of his parents, terrified of their own child and his destructive possibility. The other children, afraid of him turning into a demon over any provocation, kept their distance. Even those in this guild looked at him with apprehension, having seen that destructive power first hand right as he walked through the door. 

“I get needing to train more to control and harness your power,” When Laxus first received the dragon lacrima, he was prone to outbursts of power he couldn’t control, that left him bedridden afterwards. “But If people are afraid of you, that’s good. Means you’re strong. It’s dumb as shit to worry about that,” 

Freed smiled sadly, not phased by the insult. “It’s really lonely though, to fear losing control. I keep my distance because I don’t want to hurt anyone,” 

Laxus made a face, and Freed was about to apologize for speaking so honestly when he realized it wasn’t a face of disgust, but one of...awkwardness. The dragon slayer scratched the back of his head, looking around sheepishly.

“Uh...I’m no good at people’s feelings but just this once I’ll say something...i dunno about anyone else but you seem like a good guy and I sure ain’t afraid of you. And I bet the more you stick around that the others will see that too,” 

He hesitated,

“And if you want, I can be the one to keep you in line, so you won’t do something you regret,” 

Freed took this in, and looked genuinely appreciative and thankful. Laxus was shocked that he actually...successfully comforted someone. It felt nice.

“But don’t expect me to say any of that again!” He stumbled, but his nature had already been revealed. 

“We should be a team,” Freed said after a brief moment of silence, changing the subject abruptly, probably not wanting to dwell on his moment of weakness. Laxus couldn’t blame him. “I want to take harder missions, but the master won’t send new members out alone. But he said I could go if I went with an experienced wizard,”

“I don’t do teams,” Laxus said automatically. Ivan had taught him from a young age that joining a team was admitting weakness, that you needed others to make up for those qualities you lacked. He was the strongest in Fairy Tail now, outside of Gildarts who was never around, so he didn’t need to rely on anyone else.

Freed took that in, and his mind began to work to solve the conundrum that Laxus had presented. 

“What if I was your bodyguard?” Freed presented his solution calmly. 

A bodyguard...Laxus liked the idea. It made him seem more powerful, that he was such a threat that he only deserved to fight those who could get past someone as shrewd and calculating as Freed. “I could get behind that. What’s in it for you though?” 

“With our combined power, I can go on higher ranked missions with you to help refine my skills, and earn more Jewel that I wouldn’t normally have access to as a newcomer, while simultaneously allying myself with the strongest of the guild,” Freed explained matter-of-factly. 

_ Honestly though, I find myself drawn to you _ , Freed thought but didn’t say.

Laxus smirked in his typical condescending way, and clasped Freed on the back. “Sounds good to me. C’mon then new bodyguard, let’s look at some S-class quests,”

And Freed smiled, leaning into the older teen.

Maybe he could find a home here after all. 

—

Freed and Laxus had been sitting together, Laxus sipping a beer as Freed read, when the guild doors exploded open.

“Helloooo babiessss!” The stranger roared, causing everyone to look up. “I’m here to join a wizard guild,” 

“He’s loud,” Laxus remarked, and he noted Freed put down his book and looked towards the entrance. Then there was the look in his eye that Laxus was beginning to recognize, the green-haired mage’s mind was in motion. It was a beautiful sight. 

“What are you thinking?”

“You’ll see,” Freed teased. Early in their friendship, Freed had been incessantly formal, but as the two continued to interact, the formality began to ease into a comfortable and casual rapport. At least when they were alone, anyway. In public, he was still as uptight as ever, to Laxus’ vague annoyance. 

“Well fine, keep me in the loop I guess,” he said, as Freed made his move. 

\--

“Bixlow and I are starting a team,” Freed told Laxus. 

Laxus furrowed his eyebrows. “What the hell, I thought you were my bodyguard?”

“Bixlow is open to being your bodyguard as well,” Freed took a sip of tea. “He called you, and I quote ‘the raddest one here and obviously down for some crazy shit’.”

“Okay…”

“The way I see it, Bixlow and I can do missions independent of you, and establish our reputations as powerful mages who make the choice to act in service of you due to your power. I know you’ve been frustrated about the rumors that you’re dependent on me as a bodyguard, and this is the way to disprove them,”

There was Freed again, always rambling with his logic and reasoning, but Laxus suspected the real reason was that he wanted more companionship. Freed hadn’t really interacted with the other members of the guild since becoming Laxus’ official bodyguard, beyond polite platitudes. And Laxus sure as hell wasn’t good at making introductions. Someone as crazy and extroverted as Bixlow could be good for opening him up.

“So how does that sound?” 

Laxus realized he had zoned out during his bodyguard’s explanation, and curtly nodded. “You know you don’t need my permission. I trust your decisions,”

Freed shrugged. “I know, but it’s nice to have it,”

Laxus looked at Bixlow in the distance as he showed off his talents by juggling the guild’s wine barrels, “Hey who knows, maybe I’ll end up becoming friends with that weirdo as well,”

\--

Adding Evergreen to the team was Bixlow’s idea. After he saw her turn someone who annoyed her into stone, he said, and Freed quoted later on to Laxus, “Now that chick is a freak of nature,” 

Evergreen was amenable to partnering with Bixlow and Freed, being new to the guild and not really knowing anyone else, but she didn’t get the whole “Laxus bodyguard” part of it all. 

“Is this guy really legit enough to merit three bodyguards?” She asked, clearly in disbelief.

“Wanna fight me and find out?” Laxus responded, leaning forward with his chin lazily resting on his palm. “‘Cuz I can arrange that,”

“There’s no need for fighting,” Freed cut in. “If you want to be a member of the Thunder Legion, you have to agree to our rules. It’s as simple as that,”

“I also wanted to ask, what’s with the name Thunder Legion?”

Bixlow laughed. “The name is Freed’s baby. He could explain it all day if you let him,”

Freed cleared his throat, and glanced to the side, a bit embarrassed now to provide the explanation.

“So I’m gonna say it instead!” Bixlow continued, ‘“As you know, when it storms, you hear the thunder before you see the lightning strike. We’re the thunder that the enemy fears before they’re taken out by Laxus’ lightning,”

Freed looked at Bixlow with exasperation. “That’s not it. Thunder doesn’t come before lightning,”

“Um then explain how I hear Laxus complaining and wrecking shit up before I see him,”

“Laxus isn’t actually a severe weather phenomenon, you know.”

“Um, I think we all saw what he did last summer in Hargeon,” 

Evergreen turned to Laxus with an amused look in her eye. 

“Are they always like this?”

“Always,” 

Evergreen noticed the softness in the lightning dragon slayer as he said this, and was taken aback by it. When she first settled into Fairy Hills, the girls had told her to be careful of Laxus. They had told her he was an asshole that only cared for himself, and would rather have bodyguards than teammates.

But this warning seemed incompatible from the man who sat in front of her, looking at Freed with a tenderness she couldn’t quite put a name to. He didn’t seem that heartless when he finally broke up the fight by sending static electricity into Freed’s hair, causing Bixlow to start laughing hysterically, and Freed to stare at him with a glare that could only be described as venomous.

Though Laxus was called off to talk to his grandfather, the conversation continued between Evergreen, Bixlow and Freed.

And by the end of the night, after recounting past adventures with Laxus, their own misadventures, and bold plans for the future, the Thunder Legion was complete. 


End file.
